Closure cleaning apparatus



w. H. NEwEY cLosURE lsummum', APPARATUS Feb,l 11, 1941.

Filed July 19, 1938 ATTOR EY VYYWY Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED NSTATESPATENT OFFICE 2,231,136 v cLosURE CLEANING APPARATUS Application July19, 1938, Serial No. 219,993

2 Claims.

paratus.

One object of the invention is to provide novel and highly efficientapparatus for pneumatically cleaning closures and particularly closuresof the type adapted to be applied to containers such as bottles andwhich nds particular use in removing from new closures the dust andother foreign matter which may have accumulated therein during themanufacture thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel closure feedingmechanism in which provision is made for pneumatically cleaning theclosures prior to the application thereof to a container in a novel,simple and practical manner.

With these objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear,the invention consists in the apparatus for cleaning closures andparticularly bottle caps, in the closure cleaning and feeding mechanismand in the various structures, arrangements and combinations of partshereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the endof this specification. l

In the drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention,Fig. 1 is a plan View of a suiiicient portion of a closure applyingmachine embodying the present invention to enable the same to beunderstood; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portionof the closure feeding apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detailview of the cleaning apparatus, and Fig. 4

is an enlarged View in cross-section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3illustrating thecleaning nozzle and valve mechanism.

In general, the invention contemplates a novel and practical apparatusfor pneumatically cleaning closures such'as bottle caps prior toapplication to a container, and which finds particular use in removingfrom new bottle caps the small particles of dust and other foreignmatter which may have accumulated therein during the process ofmanufacture or while in process of shipment or in storage. In theimproved closure cleaning apparatus provision is made for directf ing ablast of air into the interior of the closure to the end thatthe dustmay be removed by the air current. In its preferred form the inventionis embodied in a machine for applying closures to containers in whichprovision is made for pneumatically cleaning successive closures as theyare being fed to the closure applying mechanism. The cleaning apparatusis preferably operatively connected with the mechanism' for feeding theclosures to the applying machine to the end that a blast of air isreleased to clean the interior of a closure each time a closure iswithdrawn from the delivery end of the closure feeding mechanism.

Referring now to the drawing, the different features of the inventionare illustrated as em- (Cl. 22S-88.1)`

'This invention relates to a closure cleaning ap bodied in a closureapplying machine having provision for automatically feeding successiveclosures to the closure applying mechanism and except as to such detailsas are hereinafter pointed out, the illustrated closure handling andapplying machine may comprise any of the usual `forms of such apparatusnow upon the market.

Reference is made to the United States patent to Arthur ClarenceEverett, No. 2,082,048, dated June 1, 1937, for'the details ofconstruction and mode of operation of such a prior art closure applyingmachine.

In theoperation of the prior art closure handling and applying machines,as illustrated in the Everett patent above referred to, a bulk supply ofthe closures is stored in a hopper from which they are individuallywithdrawn and deposited right side up in a guide chute. As is generallyknown, such guide chutes are provided with mechanism for releasing oneclosure at a time, in timed relation to the operation of the closureapplying machine and provision is made for transferring each closurefrom the end of the chute to a position to be received by a revolubleclosure applying chuck. Inasmuch as many portions of the closurelhandling and applying machine of themselves constitute no part of thepresent invention, it has been deemed sufficient to illustrate only suchportions of the machine as will enable the present invention to beunderstood.

As herein illustrated, the closures I0 are de-` posited in a guide chuteindicated generally at I4. The guide chute is mounted upon a supportingbar I6 one end of which is attached to the frame of the closure feedinghoppennot shown. The lower end of the bar I6 is suspended from an arm I8secured to the top of a vertical shaft 20 forming part of the closureapplying machine. The closures are guided in their movement down thechute I4 between adjustable rails 22, 24. A top rail 38, capable ofvertical adjustment, is provided to keep the closures` down between theguides.

Provision is made for releasing one closure at a time from the end ofthe chute I4 in timed relation to the operation of the closure applyingmachine and as herein shown, the closure releasing mechanism comprises ahooked linger 52 arranged to be raised within the endmost closure of theline to hold the closures back and provision is made for lowering thefinger at the proper time in order to release the endmost closure to betransferred to the closure applying mechanism, The linger 52 isadjustably secured link 54 is pivotally supported at its ends by arms5B, 58 of bell crank levers 60, 62, the second arms of the bell cranksbeing connected together by a i link 64. 'Ihe mechanism is operatedthrough connections from a cam 80 mounted upon a vertical shaft 82 ofthe closure applying machine and as herein shown, a shaft 65 upon whichthe bell crank 62 is secured, is provided with a bevel gear 68 whichmeshes with a bevel gear '|0 fast upon a rocker shaft 12 mounted in abracket 14 attached to the supporting bar I6. A lever 15 also secured tothe shaft 12 is connected to a lever 'I6 by a link 18 and the lever l5is rocked by the cam. 80 cooperating with a roller 8 2 carried by alever 84.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the closure applyingmechanism is provided with four closure applying heads or chucks so thatfor each revolution of the continuously revoluble mechanism of theclosure applying machine about the vertical shaft 20 it is necessary toprovide four closures. As herein shown, the vertical cam shaft 92 uponwhich the cam 80 is mounted is arranged to be driven from the closureapplying machine at a ratio of 2 to 1 through a train of gears 96, 91.Thecam 80 being provided with two lobes thus causes four closures tobereleased at each revolution of the closure applying mechamsm.

The mechanism for transferring theclosures from the end of the closurefeeding chute to the jaws of the closure applying chucks while thelatter are revolving and for applying the closures to the containers isfully illustrated and described in the Everett Patent No. 2,082,048,above referred to and is herein indicated generally by transferring armsmounted upon vertical rods |02 carried by a revoluble portion of theclosure applying mechanism. The armsv |00 are arranged to be vrockedoutwardly to a position to remove a closure from the end of the chute bya stationary cam |04 with which the rollers |05, carried by the arms|08, cooperate during the revoluble movement of the latter. The lowportion ||0 of the cam |04 permits the transferring arms |00 to swinginwardly into alignment with the closure applying chucks to permit thelatter to receive the closure. 1

In accordance with the present invention, the

apparatus for pneumatically cleaning the closures is-herein indicatedgenerally at |20 and is supported in operative relation to the closuresI0 by a bracket |22 attached to the supporting bar` I6. As hereinillustrated, the cleaning mechanism comprises an air nozzle |24supported in a housing |26 and which is in communication with any usualor preferred source of air supply, such as a blower |28 driven by amotor |30. 'Ihe blower is connected to the air nozzle through a flexiblehose |32 and through a hole |34 in the housing |26 leading to thenozzle. Although, in practice, a constant stream of air may be utilizedfor pneumatically cleaning the interior of the closures as they areadvanced past the mechanism |20, it is preferred in the illustratedembodiment of the invention to release a blast of air in timed relationto the movement of the closures through the closure feeding chute. Tothis` end,

a rotary valve member |36 having a port |38 is mounted in the housing|26 and provision is made for rocking the rotary valve member so thateach time a closure is released'from the end of the chute the port |38will be in alignment with the hole |34 in the housing and so that whenthe closure releasing mechanism is in its raised position, to hold theclosures back, the air supply to the nozzle |24 will be cut 01T. Asherein shown, the valve member |36 is retained in the housing by a cover|40 secured to the housing by screws |42 and a rocker shaft |44 formedintegrally with the valve member is journaled in the hub |45 of thecover |40. The valve is preferably operated .through connections fromthe closure releasing mechanism and, as herein shown. a lever |48 faston the end of the rocker shaft '|2 is connected by a link |50 to a lever|52 keyed to the valve shaft |44. In operation, when theclosurereleasing mechanism is operated to release a closure from the endof the chute, the rotary valve is rocked clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 3,to align the port |38 with the-hole |34 in the housing and as theclosures move forward a blast of air is released through the orice |54in the air nozzle. The discharge of air into the interior of the closurecauses the foreign particles to be blown downwardly and outwardly and,in practice, any usual or preferred means may be employed for collectingand removing the dust from the area surrounding the cleaning mechanismsuch as vacuum controlled means, not shown. When the closure releasingmechanism is in its raised position, the valve member is rockedcounter-clockwise to remove the port |38 from alignment with the hole|34 in the housing and the air is shut off.

From the description thus far it will be observed that the illustratedcleaning apparatus is adapted to pneumatically clean the closures in asimple, sanitary and efcient manner and finds particular use inconnection with a closure applying machine having provision forautomatically feeding the closures to the closure applying mechanism.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been hereinillustrated and described, it will 'be understood that the invention maybe embodied in other forms within the scope 'of the following claims.

' Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. 'I'he combination with closure feeding mechanism comprising a feedchute and mechanism for controlling the delivery of successive closurestherefrom, of an air nozzle mounted to direct an air stream into theinterior of successive closures passing through said chute, means forsupplying air under pressure to said nozzle, an air valve controllingthe flow through said nozzle and connections between the air valve andthe closure delivering mechanism for opening and closing the valve intimed relation to the movements of said closures.

2. The combination with closure feeding mechanism comprising a feedchute and mechanism for controlling the delivery of successive closurestherefrom, of an air nozzle mounted to direct an air ystream into theinterior of successive closures passing through said chute, means forsupplying air under pressure to said nozzle, and means operativelyconnected with the closure delivery mechanism for controlling the flowof air through said nozzle arranged to release successive blasts of airin timed relation to the movements of said

